Abbreviations of Bible Versions

Published 5 July 2010; Revised 27 March 2023

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In order to emphasize the Hebraic and Jewish nature of Scripture I use the terms Tanakh (Old Testament) and Besekh (New Testament).

Most versions can be accessed on the Internet. (BibleGateway.com; BibleHub.com; Bible-Researcher.com; BibleStudyTools.comStudyLight.org)

Contents

The Earliest Bibles

Greek Texts of the Besekh

Early Christian (English) Versions (Public Domain)

Hebrew Versions of the Besekh

Modern Christian (English) Versions of the Aramaic Bible (Peshitta)

Modern Christian (English) Versions

Modern Messianic Jewish (English) Versions

Modern Non-Messianic Jewish (English) Versions

 

The Earliest Bibles

DSS

Dead Sea Scrolls, remains of an ancient Jewish library, written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The library includes Hebrew Bible manuscripts, as well as Apocrypha and other Jewish literature of the period. (2nd cent. B.C. - 1st cent. A.D.).

English translation: The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. Rev. ed. Trans. Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr. and Edward Cook. HarperOne, 2005.

LXX

Septuagint: the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, begun by 72 Jewish scribes in early 3rd century B.C. and in general use by the mid-2nd century B.C. The final version included the Apocrypha.

ABP: The Apostolic Bible Polyglot, Charles Van der Pool (2006). An interlinear of the Greek Tanakh (no Apocrypha), with English translation. Download.

CATSS: Computer Assisted Tools for Septuagint Study, prepared by the Center for Computer Analysis of Texts, University of Pennsylvania (1995, 2004); available at Unbound Bible.

Elpenor: Bilingual LXX with English translation of L.C.L. Brenton (1851)

LXX2012: Septuagint in American English 2012 (1885, 2012), eBible.org.

NETS: New English Translation of the Septuagint (2009)

Rahlfs' LXX: Alfred Rahlf, Septuaginta: id est Vetus Testamentum Graece iuxta LXX. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1935.

Swete's LXX: H.B. Swete, The Old Testament in Greek According to the Septuagint. Cambridge, 1909-1922.

MT

Masoretic Text (the traditional text of the Hebrew Bible, which may be dated to Rabbi Akiva's efforts to standardize the Hebrew canon in the early 2nd century A.D. Extant MSS only date to the 10th cent. A.D.)

S

Syriac (the Bible in Syrian Aramaic; the Tanakh was first translated by Jews, probably Messianic Jews, in the late 1st century to early 2nd century, and the Besekh by Christians in the late 2nd century.

T

Targums, Aramaic translation of the Tanakh with interpretative comments (Extant MSS dated to 70-135 A.D., although such translation existed in an oral form a long time before that, which Jewish authorities date to the time of Ezra.) Online with English translation.

V or Vul

Jerome, Biblica Sacra Vulgata (the Latin version of the Bible, A.D. 405)

Greek Texts of the Besekh

TR

Textus Receptus ("Received Text", 1633 ed. of Erasmus' Greek text of 1516). This Greek text is the basis for the KJV. Online (1894 ed.)

WH-Text

The New Testament in Greek, B.F. Westcott & F.J.A. Hort (1881; incorporated reading of newly discovered early manuscripts) Online

Maj-Text,

M-Text

Majority Text (AKA Byzantine Text; consists of the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not the oldest.) NKJV uses the abbreviation M-Text.

NA21—28

Novum Testamentum Graece. ed. Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Bruce Metzger, and Allen Wikgren. American Bible Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society. (NA1, 1898; NA13, 1927; NA21, 1952; NA25, 1963; NA26, 1975; NA27, 1993; NA28, 2012). This Greek text incorporates the reading of the earliest manuscripts and is generally followed by modern Bible versions. The differences between editions are largely the textual apparatus added listing variant readings of interest to translators and Greek New Testament scholars.

UBS1—5

The Greek New Testament. ed. Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Bruce Metzger, et. al. United Bible Societies. (UBS1, 1966; UBS2, 1968; UBS3, 1975; UBS4, 1993; UBS5, 2014; UBS3 and UBS4 correspond to NA26; UBS5 corresponds to NA28.)

NU-Text

Abbreviation used in the New King James Version to denote the combined reading of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (N) and the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (U).

Early Christian (English) Versions (Public Domain) (Online)

AV; KJV

King James Version, known in Britain as the Authorized Version (1611; revised 1769; based on the TR).

Anderson

H.T. Anderson (1812-1872), The New Testament Translated from the Original Greek (1864; Public Domain).

Bishop

The Bishop's Bible (1568).

Coverdale

Miles Coverdale, Coverdale Bible (1535).

Darby, DBY

J.N. Darby, Darby Bible (1890; Public Domain).

DRA/DRB

Douay-Rheims Bible, American Edition (1899; Public Domain). [Catholic]

GNV

The Geneva Bible (1587).

Mace

Daniel Mace, New Testament in Greek and English (1729).

RV or BRV

Revised Version, Oxford University Press (1881-1885). [A British revision of the KJV]

Tyndale

William Tyndale, Tyndale New Testament (1526).

WBT

Noah Webster, Webster's Bible Translation (1833), revision of the KJV. [Original title: The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, in the Common Version, With Amendments of the Language]

Wesley

John Wesley, The New Testament (1790).

WYC

John Wycliffe, Wycliffe Bible (1395, translated from the Latin).

Hebrew Versions of the Besekh

BSI-NT

Ha'Brit Ha'Chadashah [New Covenant]: Tirgum Chadash. [New Translation]. Bible Society in Israel, 1991. Online. (Modern Hebrew)

Delitzsch

Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), Hebrew New Testament. Leipzig, 1877. Online. (Biblical Hebrew)

DHE

Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), The Delitzsch Hebrew-English Gospels. Vine of David, 2011. [English translation by the Messianic Jewish publisher]

HEB

Hebrew-English Bible. The Bible Society in Israel and the Israel Association for the Dissemination of Biblical Writings, 1996. (Modern Hebrew with English NKJV)

Margoliouth

Ezekiel Margoliouth, Ha'Brit Ha'Chadashah al pi Mashiach [New Covenant of the Messiah] Public Domain, 1927. Online. (Biblical Hebrew)

Salkinson

Isaac E. Salkinson (1820-1883) and Christian D. Ginsberg (1831-1914), Ha-Berit ha-Hadashah. British Missionary Society, 1886. Online. (19th c. Hebrew)

Modern Christian (English) Versions of the Aramaic Bible (Peshitta)

Roth

Andrew Gabriel Roth, Aramaic English New Testament (Netzari Press, 2012).

Alexander

Victor Alexander, Aramaic New Testament (2011) Online.

Bauscher, OANT

Glenn David Bauscher, The Original Aramaic New Testament in Plain English with Psalms & Proverbs (8th edition; 2013).

Etheridge

John W. Etheridge, The Peschito Syriac New Testament: Translated into English (1849) Online.

Lamsa

George Lamsa, The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts (1957) Online.

Magiera

Janet M. Magiera, Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation: Messianic Version (Light of the Word Ministry, 2009).

Murdock

James Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version (1852) Online.

Roth, AENT

Andrew Gabriel Roth, Aramaic English New Testament (Netzari Press, 2012).

Younan

Paul D. Younan, Peshitta Aramaic/English Interlinear New Testament (2000). Online.

Modern Christian (English) Versions

AKJV

Authorized King James Version; reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown's patentee in the UK.

AMP

The Amplified Bible, The Lockman Foundation (2015).

AMPC

The Amplified Bible: Classic Edition, The Lockman Foundation (1987).

ASV

American Standard Version (1901; Public Domain)

BBE

C. K. Ogden, The Bible in Basic English (1965).

BHIB

Bible Hub Interlinear Bible, Bible Hub (2004-2018). Online.

BLB

Berean Literal Bible, Bible Hub and Discovery Bible (2015). Online.

BRG

Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition Bible, BRG Bible Ministries (2012).

CEB

Common English Bible, Common English Bible (2011).

CEV

Contemporary English Version, American Bible Society (1995).

CSB

Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers (2017). (an update of the HCSB)

DHE

Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), The Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels. Vine of David, 2011. (Citation of "DHE" indicates the English translation provided by the publisher.)

DLNT

Disciples Literal New Testament, Michael J. Magill (2011).

ECB

exeGeses Companion Bible, exegesis inc. (nd). Online.

EMTV

English Majority Text Version: New Testament, trans. Paul W. Esposito (2009). Online.

EHV

 Evangelical Heritage Version: New Testament & Psalms, The Wartburg Project (Lutheran) (2017).

ERV

Easy-to-Read Version, World Bible Translation Center (2006).

ESV

The English Standard Version, Crossway Bibles (2001).

EXB

The Expanded Bible, Thomas Nelson Inc. (2011).

GNB/GNT/
TEV

Good News Bible, American Bible Society (1992); also known as Good News Translation; formerly known as Today's English Version (1976).

Goodspeed

Edgar J. Goodspeed, The New Testament: An American Translation (1923). Online.

GW

God's Word, God's Word to the Nations (1995).

HCSB

Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers (2003).

ICB

The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible, Thomas Nelson (1986, 1988, 1999, 2015).

ISR

The Scriptures, Institute for Scripture Research  (1998).

ISV

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version, ISV Foundation (1996-2012).

JB

Jerusalem Bible, Darton, Longman & Todd (1966). [Catholic]

JUB

Jubilee Bible, Life Sentence Publishing (2000, 2001, 2010).

KJ21

21st Century King James Version, Deuel Enterprises, Inc. (1994).

Knox

Knox Bible, Westminster Diocese (2012).

LB

Kenneth Taylor, The Living Bible (1971).

LEB

Lexham English Bible, Logos Bible Software (2012).

LITV

J.P. Green, Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (1976). Online.

LSB

Legacy Standard Bible. Lockman Foundation (2021). Online.

LSV

Literal Standard Version. Covenant Press (2020). Online.

ME-WEB

Messianic Edition of the World English Bible, Public Domain (2008). See HNV.

MEV

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Military Bible Association (2014).

MLB

Modern Language Bible: The New Berkeley Version in Modern English, Zondervan Pub. House (1969).

MNT, Moffatt

James Moffatt, A New Translation of the Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, A New Translation (1926). Online.

MPNT

Alfred Marshall, NASB-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English with Interlinear Translation (Zondervan, 1986).

Mounce-NT or MRINT

Robert H. Mounce and William D. Mounce, Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (2011).

MSG

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, E. H. Peterson (2002).

NAB

The New American Bible, USCCB (1986). [Roman Catholic] Online.

NABRE

The New American Bible, Revised Edition, USCCB (2010). [Roman Catholic]

NASB

New American Standard Bible, Lockman Foundation (1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977; 1995; 2020).

NASU

New American Standard Bible: Updated Edition, Lockman Foundation (1995).

NCV

New Century Version, Thomas Nelson, Inc. (2005).

NEB

The New English Bible, Oxford University Press (1970). Online.

NET

The NET Bible/New English Translation, Biblical Studies Press (2005).

NIRV

New International Reader's Version, Biblica, Inc. (1998, 2014).

NIV

The New International Version, Biblica, Inc. (1973, 1978, 1984, 2011).

NJB

New Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday Religion (1999). [Roman Catholic] Online.

NKJV

New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Inc. (1982).

NLT

New Living Translation, Tyndale House Foundation (1996, 2007).

NLV

New Life Version, Christian Literature International (2006).

NMB

New Matthew Bible, Ruth Magnusson Davis (2016).

NOG

The Names of God Bible, Baker Publishing Group (2011).

NRSV

New Revised Standard Version, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America (1989).

NTE

Nicholas Thomas Wright, New Testament for Everyone (2011).

Phillips, PNT

J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English (1958). Online.

REB

Revised English Bible, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press (1989).

REV

Revised English Version, Spirit and Truth Fellowship International (2013). Online.

RGT

Revised Geneva Translation, Five Talents Audio (2019).

RSV

Revised Standard Version, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America (1952, 1971).

RSV-CE

Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (1966, 2006).

SLT

Smith's Literal Translation of the Bible, Julia E. Smith (1876). Online.

TEV

See GNT above.

TLB

The Living Bible, Kenneth Taylor (1971).

TNIV

Today's New International Version, Biblica, Inc. (2005).

TPT

The Passion Translation. BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC (2017).

Voice

The Voice Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc.; Ecclesia Bible Society (2012).

WE

Worldwide English New Testament, SOON Educational Publications (1969, 1971, 1996, 1998).

WEB

Michael Paul Johnson, World English Bible (1997).

WMB

Michael Paul Johnson, World Messianic Bible (2014); aka Hebrew Names Version (HNV). Online.

WNT or Weymouth

Richard Francis Weymouth, Weymouth New Testament (1903). Online.

YLT

Robert Young, Young's Literal Translation (1898; Public Domain).

Modern Messianic Jewish (English) Versions

BSI-NT

Ha'Brit Ha'Chadashah [New Covenant]: Tirgum Chadash. [New Translation]. Bible Society in Israel, 1991. Online. [Modern Hebrew]

CJB

David Stern, Complete Jewish Bible (1998).

DHE

Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), The Delitzsch Hebrew-English Gospels. Vine of David, 2011. [English translation by the publisher]

Einspruch

Henry Einspruch, The Good News According to Matthew. Lederer Publications, 1964.

GNC

Heinrich Walter Cassirer, God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation (1989).

HEB

Hebrew-English Bible, The Bible Society in Israel (1996)  [Parallel Bible with both Tanakh and Besekh in Hebrew with NKJV English text.]

MJLT

Kevin Geoffrey, Messianic Jewish Literal Translation, Perfect Word Messianic Publishing (2018).

MW

Daniel Gruber, The Messianic Writings (2012).

NMV

Tov Rose, New Messianic Version of the Bible (2013).

OJB

Phillip Goble, Orthodox Jewish Bible, Artists for Israel International (2011). Online.

TLV

Messianic Jewish Family Bible: Tree of Life Version, Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society (2014). Online.

WMB

Michael Paul Johnson, World Messianic Bible (2008). [AKA Hebrew Names Version of the World English Bible and World English Bible: Messianic Edition.] Online.

Modern Non-Messianic Jewish (English) Versions

AST

The Stone Edition of the Tanach-ArtScroll Series, Mesorah Publications (1996)

CTHB-R

The Complete Tanach-Hebrew Bible with Rashi Commentary , Judaica Press (1993). Online. [Hebrew with English translation by A.J. Rosenberg]

JPS

The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text, Jewish Publication Society of America (1917). Online.

TIB

The Israel Bible, Menorah Books (2018). Online.

KJB

The Koren Jerusalem Bible, Koren Publishers Jerusalem (1964). [Hebrew with English translation]

NJPS

New Jewish Publication Society of America Version of the Tanakh (1985). Online.

 

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